Rubber Bands
by CrazySockGirl
Summary: Opinions don't change in an Instant. Draco Malfoy doesn't Either. A look into the Draco Malfoy that could have been. The Draco Malfoy that made friends with a Muggle. Because Draco Malfoy was seven when he realized something was wrong.
1. Prologue

**A/N: Disclaimer I do not own harry potter or any of the characters.**

**Draco's seven.**

It's Draco's first time visiting Diagon Alley when he realizes there's something wrong with him. Something that makes him different from the other people shopping. He doesn't like it. He doesn't like the stares and the looks of hatred. Draco knows something's wrong. Draco doesn't know what.

******Draco's Eight.**

Draco's parents have finally let him explore Diagon alley on his own. It's his first time going without an adult. He doesn't get the looks of contempt anymore. Just ones of curiosity. It's then when he realizes what makes him different from all those people. What makes them hate him. It's his family.

******Draco's Nine.**

Draco's been to Diagon alley plenty of times on his own when he says the word. He didn't know Mudblood was such a bad word. His parents use it all the time, but when the shop owner kicks him out for saying that word he knows something's wrong. He asks his godfather what it means. Draco knows something's wrong when he hears the explanation. Draco goes out the next day and buys hair ties for his dad. They look so cool; he takes one and puts it on his wrist. He pulls it. It snaps painfully onto his wrist and Draco swears. Now he looks at it again.

******Draco's ten.**

Draco is still wearing the rubber band. Every time he says or things a bad word he pulls it. Draco doesn't use the words mudblood and blood traitor anymore. He doesn't think them anymore either. He stopped trying to understand what it means. It's summer and Draco is out and about again. He's wearing short sleeves and so is most of Diagon alley. His Father's sleeves are long. Short, long, short, long. All of his father's friends have long sleeves. He's out after bedtime when he finds out why. They all have the ugly scars. They all seem proud of them. Only his godfather looks at the scar with contempt. His godfather looks at a lot of things with contempt. Draco knows something's wrong. Draco knows that those scars are what's wrong. Why are they kept hidden?

******Draco's eleven.**

Draco is going off to Hogwarts soon. He's allowed to be off on his own now, even away from Diagon alley. Draco's exploring a nearby village when he meets a boy his age. Draco's been warned about these folk. 'They're different' his father warns. Draco talks to the boy anyway. The boy's name is Justin. He knows lots of things Draco doesn't. Draco and Justin are friends. Justin is different. Draco thinks that it's a good different. A fun different. Draco doesn't tell his family about Justin. His family is different too. Except, Draco realizes, his family isn't a good type of different. Draco's learned about the television and the microwave. Draco has also learned about The Beatles. Justin and Draco are friends. Draco realizes nothing's wrong. Being friends with different people is good. Draco doesn't like Crabbe and Goyle anyway. Draco knows something. Sometimes different is good.


	2. Sorting

**Draco's a first year.**

Draco meets a boy in Madame Malkins. He likes this boy. The boy doesn't know much about Hogwarts. Draco tries to say nice things about each house. Like the boy, Draco doesn't know which house he wants to be in. Draco isn't sure he minds. Draco learns his name is Harry Potter. Draco's heard about him. Draco thinks his parents are wrong about Harry Potter. Draco likes Harry. Draco and Harry exchange letters through owl. Draco doesn't tell his parents about Harry. Justin doesn't get a letter to Hogwarts. Draco tells Justin about Hogwarts, he tells Justin about owls. Justin promises to keep it a secret. Justin promises to write. Draco doesn't tell his parents about Justin. Draco doesn't tell his parents a lot of things now, but most of all, Draco doesn't tell his parents.

Draco gets on the train to Hogwarts. He sits with Harry and a boy with red hair. Draco has heard of a family with red hair, but Draco's rubber band knows not to repeat anything his parents say. The redheaded boy doesn't like him. The redheaded twins are nice to him though, and he gives them a smile. The redheaded twins look at him weirdly. Then they mention a spider. The redheaded boy named Ron goes white. The twins laugh.

A girl and a boy enter the compartment. The boy has a toad. Draco offers them a seat. The girl sits in between Harry and him. Draco doesn't mind, he likes this girl immediately. She has bushy brown hair, pretty brown eyes, and very large teeth. She doesn't like Ron either. Unfortunately, Harry seems to.

Harry and Draco both get a lot of food from the cart. They split it up between everyone in the compartment. Draco gives a little extra to Hermione. Draco and Hermione talk the rest of the way to Hogwarts. Draco likes Hermione. She knows about the television and the microwave and she also knows about Hogwarts. Draco doesn't understand his parents anymore. How can they not like people like Neville, Harry, and Hermione?

Neville loses his toad. Hermione, Harry, and Draco help look for it. Ron's fallen asleep. They spend forever looking for it. Harry finds it in the bathroom. Nobody understands how it got there. Draco's glad he has an owl. A toad makes for a very bad pet. Justin agrees with him the next time they exchange letters. Of course, Justin has a pet frog, so he's a bit biased.

* * *

When they get off the train, Hagrid is waiting for them. Hagrid is huge. Draco met him in Diagon alley over the summer, but that doesn't stop him from feeling really small next to Hagrid. Draco gets into a boat with Hermione, Neville, and a girl named lavender. Lavender is very irritating. She refuses to stop talking and Draco deeply hopes that they won't be in the same house. He nudges Hermione and rolls his eyes. Hermione rolls her eyes back. Draco continues to look at Hermione even after this. He realizes something important. She hasn't had many friends and she's scared. He doesn't understand his feelings very well, but he knows this. He doesn't want her to be scared ever again. He decides something then and there. Hermione Granger is going to be his best friend no matter what. Draco knows his parents are wrong about muggleborns.

* * *

Draco, Hermione, Harry, Neville, and Ron cluster nervously together in the room that Professor Mcgonagall led them to. It's small and dark. Hermione stands right next to Draco. He can feel her shaking and reaches for her hand. Hermione takes it.

* * *

**Draco's POV (POINT OF VIEW)**

As I hold Hermione's hand in mine I know I don't want to be a Slytherin anymore. My family raised me to be a Slytherin. It hasn't ever occurred to them that I will be anything but a Slytherin. I've been raised on the ideals that you need to put yourself and your family in front of everything else. I can't help myself but wonder if that means the same thing to them as it does to me. I know that the day I spend at Diagon alley with my parents at the tender age of seven changed me. I don't want to spend the rest of my life being looked at like that.

I hope I'll be in Ravenclaw. I don't want to be disowned. I love my family. I don't agree with them, but I love them. Ravenclaw is the one house other than Slytherin that my family will tolerate.

"Are you nervous" Hermione asks me, her eyes big and wide. I look at her.

"Yes." I tell her running my fingers through my hair. What if I don't get in Ravenclaw? What if I get in Slytherin? What if I'm in Hufflepuff or Gryffindor."But only a little. I don't think it will be that hard. All we have to do is try on a hat." Hermione looks relieved and smiles at me.

"A hat? Why do we need to try on a hat?" She asks. I shrug my shoulders.

"I just know that we need to try on a hat, my father didn't say any more than that." She nods. In the next instance, ghosts burst through the wall. Hermione latches onto me. I pull her off. "They're ghosts. Don't Muggles have ghosts?"

"Y-yes, but m-most people d-don't believe in them!" She stutters staring open mouthed at the transparent dead people.

"Why not? You can see them clearly enough." She shakes her head at me.

"Not at all, most Muggles think they're fairy tales, fiction. Just like they think wizards aren't real." She whispers as Professor Mcgonagall enters the room.

* * *

The sorting hat finishes its song and everyone claps. I can't help but continue to worry about what house I'm in. Crabbe and Goyle are in Slytherin.

"Granger, Hermione." Hermione places the hat on, and for the few seconds she wears it I don't breathe. I don't think she breathes either.

"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat yells and I sigh. She's in Gryffindor. I don't think we'll be housemates, but I hope she'll still be my friend. A few more people get sorted but I don't pay any attention.

"Malfoy, Draco" I hear my name and walk to the sorting hat.

_A Malfoy I see, but you're different from the rest of your lot aren't you. _Yes. _Hmm, Slytherin would do you good in the short-term, but it isn't right for a mind like yours. You're the first of your family to see different from what your ancestors saw. Better be-_

"RAVENCLAW!" I took the hat off and walked towards the Ravenclaw table. Hermione waves at me. I smiled and waved back. Harry and Ron were both in Gryffindor. I hope that it doesn't effect our friendship, but hey, at least I'm not a Slytherin!

* * *

**A/N: I think this is going to be a series of different important moments throughout each book, following Hermione and Draco.**

**I would appreciate reviews. Reviewers will get imaginary cookies!**


	3. A Troll in the Dungeon

Hermione sighed as she entered the charms classroom. Draco wasn't in this class with her. He wasn't in most of her classes, but this one especially made her miss her only friend. After the train ride, she had expected that Harry and Ron would hang out with her or at the very least, talk to her. Harry gave her pleasantries when they passed, but since their first night, she hadn't had a conversation with either of the two boys.

Draco, however, was a different story. He sought her out between classes, sat with her at breakfast and lunch. Her fellow housemates called him her puppy dog, but Hermione appreciated it. She and Draco frequently spent time together in the library. They completed their homework together there and often spent the afternoons wandering the corridors chatting. Hermione was surprised at how much he knew about Muggles. He told her that his parents were fond of the Muggle world, but Hermione doubted it was the truth. She had seen his face as he read his parents' letters and had watched him write letters back. Draco always looked so concentrated, as if one misused word would crumble his entire world. And maybe, Hermione mused as she walked to her table, it could.

She was paired with Ron for the levitating charm. He couldn't even say it right, much less spell the word. Hermione had attempted to help him, not wanting to witness another exploding feather, but he had just sneered and told her that she should try it herself and see how easy it was. Never one to back down from a challenge, Hermione successfully levitated her father. And even though Proffeser filtiwick had praised her, Ron's look of utter annoyance at her success stayed put in her mind as she crossed the courtyard.

Harry and Ron were right in front of her, Hermione realized. She hurried to catch up with them, wanting to try and befriend them again. Just as she was upon them, she heard Rons voice, speaking rudely of another student. Speaking rudely about her.

"It's no wonder no one can stand her, she's a nightmare honestly." Ron said. Hermione's throat tightend and she struggled to keep tears from falling. She rushed by them, swiping furiously at her eyes and ran toward's the first place that came into her mind. A place for her to cry in peace. Hermione ran straight to moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

* * *

Draco waited for Hermione by the grand staircase for ten minutes before he heard Pavarti mention her name. She was talking to Harry and Ron. Ron was pulling at his ear, the way he always did when he was guilty of something. Draco went right up to him, grabbing him by his collar and twisting it. Ron gulped.

"What did you do with Hermione?" He growled looking directly into Ron's eyes.

"I didn't do anything." Draco lifted Ron a little higher." She overheard me saying something rude about her and ran off. It wasn't my fault though, she's such a bloody know it all." Draco dropped Ron onto the ground roughly. He turned to Harry, who shrugged.

"Where is she now?" He asked Harry.

"Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom, I think." he replied. After a second, Harry looked around. Draco had disappeared.

* * *

Hermione stood in front of the mirror wiping away her tears when Draco burst in. She turned away from his intense stare in a half-hearted attempt to hide her puffy eyes. He ran up to her, pulling her into a hug. Hermione burst into another round sobs. Draco looked uncomfortably at the girl in his arms and hestanitly started to pat her back. Draco glanced around the room and then back to Hermione.

"It's okay Hermione." Draco said awkwardly. Hermione sniffled.

"R-ron s-s-ai-d-d that I-I'm a n-iii-gh-mar-e" She sobbed into Draco's shirt. Draco gripped her tighter. "T-that n-no one can-n st-stand me-e"

"Hermione! You know that's not true! You're wonderful and smart and- and my best friend!" Draco told her.

"T-thanks" came a muffled reply as Hermione burrowed herself further into Draco's arms. Draco looked up as the door banged open. His eyes widened as her took in the sight. Taking Hermione, he pushed her into one of the stalls and turned to face the Troll, but the last thing he saw was a large club swing right towards him before it all went black.

* * *

Draco groaned as he opened his eyes, squinting in the bright lights that he recognized as the infirmary. He tried to rise, but was immediately attacked by a large amount of bushy brown hair. He tried to search through the curly mess for his best friend, but it was to no avail.

"Hermione, get off the poor boy, he can't see a thing." A voice called out and to Draco's immense relief and slight disappointment, Hermione jumped off him. Draco shot Harry a grateful look. Hermione straightened her robes and proceeded to brush Draco's hair back with her fingers, looking very upset.

"I'm so sorry Draco, it was all my fault that you got hurt. Are you feeling okay? Do you need something to eat? To drink? I got you a glass of water a while ago hoping you would wake up soon, but the ice has melted, so I'll get you a new one. I really am sorry. You were out for two days, but I got all your assignments and took extra notes for you. I'm glad you're awake because I really missed you." Hermione said all of this really fast and Draco had to blink for a minute before responding.

"I'm fine and it wasn't your fault Hermione." Draco told her. Hermione looked close to tears and Draco looked to Harry and Ron for support.

"Yeah Hermione, it wasn't your fault it was mine for saying those mean things. I didn't mean them and I'm sorry." Ron told her.

"Thanks." Hermione responded. The four of them talked for a while before Harry and Ron got up to leave with the promise of visiting Draco tomorrow. There were some things that you couldn't go through without becoming friends and fighting a troll was one of them. Hermione shook her head at the offer to walk back with them and said she would be down in a little bit.

Draco scooted over in his bed and patted the empty spot next to him. Hermione sat down and grabbed something from the table next to him.

"I know how much you value your hair Draco and I got Terry to grab your products for me." Hermione told as she combed his hair and added his magical jell. It immediately became Immaculent again and Hermione set the comb and canister back on the table. They continued to talk and Hermione ran her fingers through his hair as she updated him on Hogwarts news. They stayed like that until Madame Pompfrey kicked Hermione out. Draco's last thought before he went to sleep was that Hermione was becoming much too attached to his hair.


End file.
